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Tran L, Tu VL, Dadam MN, Aziz JMA, Duy TLD, Ahmed HHH, Kwaah PA, Quoc HN, Van Dat T, Mizuta S, Hirayama K, Huy NT. Antimalarial activities of benzothiazole analogs: A systematic review. Fundam Clin Pharmacol 2024; 38:410-464. [PMID: 38146774 DOI: 10.1111/fcp.12974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Benzothiazole derivatives have been reported to possess a wide range of biological activities, including antimalarial activity. This systematic review aims to summarize and evaluate the antimalarial activities of benzothiazole analogs. METHODS We conducted an electronic search using nine databases in October 2017 and subsequently updated in September 2022. We included all original in vitro and in vivo studies that documented the antimalarial activities of compounds containing benzothiazole analogs with no restriction. The risk of bias of each included study was assessed by ToxRTool. RESULTS Twenty-eight articles were included in our study, which are in vitro, in vivo, or both. Of these, 232 substances were identified to have potent antiplasmodial activity against various strains of the malaria parasite. Benzothiazole analogs show different antimalarial mechanisms, including inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum enzymes in in vitro studies and inhibition of blood parasites in in vivo studies. CONCLUSIONS Benzothiazole derivatives are promising substances for treating malaria. The structure-activity relationship studies suggest that the substitution pattern of the benzothiazole scaffold plays a crucial role in determining the antimalarial activity of the analog.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linh Tran
- Institute of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Duy Tan University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam
| | - Vo Linh Tu
- Online Research Club (https://www.onlineresearchclub.org/), Nagasaki, Japan
- Faculty of Traditional Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Mohammad Najm Dadam
- Online Research Club (https://www.onlineresearchclub.org/), Nagasaki, Japan
- Department of Geriatrics, Helios Klinikum Schwelm, Schwelm, Germany
| | - Jeza Muhamad Abdul Aziz
- Biomedical Science Department, Komar University of Science and Technology, Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
- Baxshin Research Center, Baxshin Hospital, Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
| | - Tran Le Dinh Duy
- Online Research Club (https://www.onlineresearchclub.org/), Nagasaki, Japan
- College of Health Sciences, VinUniversity, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Hajer Hatim Hassan Ahmed
- Online Research Club (https://www.onlineresearchclub.org/), Nagasaki, Japan
- Faculty of Medicine, Alzaiem Alazhari University, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Patrick Amanning Kwaah
- Online Research Club (https://www.onlineresearchclub.org/), Nagasaki, Japan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, Yale-Waterbury Internal Medicine Program, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
| | - Hoang Nghia Quoc
- Online Research Club (https://www.onlineresearchclub.org/), Nagasaki, Japan
- Vietnam Military Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Truong Van Dat
- Ministry of Health Cabinet, Ministry of Health, Ha Noi, Vietnam
| | - Satoshi Mizuta
- Center for Bioinformatics and Molecular Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Kenji Hirayama
- School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Nguyen Tien Huy
- Institute of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Duy Tan University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam
- Online Research Club (https://www.onlineresearchclub.org/), Nagasaki, Japan
- School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
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2
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Sabitzki R, Roßmann AL, Schmitt M, Flemming S, Guillén-Samander A, Behrens HM, Jonscher E, Höhn K, Fröhlke U, Spielmann T. Role of Rabenosyn-5 and Rab5b in host cell cytosol uptake reveals conservation of endosomal transport in malaria parasites. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002639. [PMID: 38820535 PMCID: PMC11168701 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Vesicular trafficking, including secretion and endocytosis, plays fundamental roles in the unique biology of Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage parasites. Endocytosis of host cell cytosol (HCC) provides nutrients and room for parasite growth and is critical for the action of antimalarial drugs and parasite drug resistance. Previous work showed that PfVPS45 functions in endosomal transport of HCC to the parasite's food vacuole, raising the possibility that malaria parasites possess a canonical endolysosomal system. However, the seeming absence of VPS45-typical functional interactors such as rabenosyn 5 (Rbsn5) and the repurposing of Rab5 isoforms and other endolysosomal proteins for secretion in apicomplexans question this idea. Here, we identified a parasite Rbsn5-like protein and show that it functions with VPS45 in the endosomal transport of HCC. We also show that PfRab5b but not PfRab5a is involved in the same process. Inactivation of PfRbsn5L resulted in PI3P and PfRab5b decorated HCC-filled vesicles, typical for endosomal compartments. Overall, this indicates that despite the low sequence conservation of PfRbsn5L and the unusual N-terminal modification of PfRab5b, principles of endosomal transport in malaria parasite are similar to that of model organisms. Using a conditional double protein inactivation system, we further provide evidence that the PfKelch13 compartment, an unusual apicomplexa-specific endocytosis structure at the parasite plasma membrane, is connected upstream of the Rbsn5L/VPS45/Rab5b-dependent endosomal route. Altogether, this work indicates that HCC uptake consists of a highly parasite-specific part that feeds endocytosed material into an endosomal system containing more canonical elements, leading to the delivery of HCC to the food vacuole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricarda Sabitzki
- Pathogen Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anna-Lena Roßmann
- Pathogen Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marius Schmitt
- Pathogen Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sven Flemming
- Pathogen Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Ernst Jonscher
- Pathogen Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Höhn
- Electron Microscopy Unit, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Fröhlke
- Pathogen Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Pathogen Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
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3
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Kumar K, Basak R, Rai A, Mukhopadhyay A. GRASP negatively regulates the secretion of the virulence factor gp63 in Leishmania. Mol Microbiol 2024; 121:1063-1078. [PMID: 38558112 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Metalloprotease-gp63 is a virulence factor secreted by Leishmania. However, secretory pathway in Leishmania is not well defined. Here, we cloned and expressed the GRASP homolog from Leishmania. We found that Leishmania expresses one GRASP homolog of 58 kDa protein (LdGRASP) which localizes in LdRab1- and LPG2-positive Golgi compartment in Leishmania. LdGRASP was found to bind with COPII complex, LdARF1, LdRab1 and LdRab11 indicating its role in ER and Golgi transport in Leishmania. To determine the function of LdGRASP, we generated LdGRASP knockout parasites using CRISPR-Cas9. We found fragmentation of Golgi in Ld:GRASPKO parasites. Our results showed enhanced transport of non-GPI-anchored gp63 to the cell surface leading to higher secretion of this form of gp63 in Ld:GRASPKO parasites in comparison to Ld:WT cells. In contrast, we found that transport of GPI-anchored gp63 to the cell surface is blocked in Ld:GRASPKO parasites and thereby inhibits its secretion. The overexpression of dominant-negative mutant of LdRab1 or LdSar1 in Ld:GRASPKO parasites significantly blocked the secretion of non-GPI-anchored gp63. Interestingly, we found that survival of transgenic parasites overexpressing Ld:GRASP-GFP is significantly compromised in macrophages in comparison to Ld:WT and Ld:GRASPKO parasites. These results demonstrated that LdGRASP differentially regulates Ldgp63 secretory pathway in Leishmania.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamal Kumar
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India
| | - Rituparna Basak
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India
| | - Aakansha Rai
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India
| | - Amitabha Mukhopadhyay
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India
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4
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Schmidt S, Wichers-Misterek JS, Behrens HM, Birnbaum J, Henshall IG, Dröge J, Jonscher E, Flemming S, Castro-Peña C, Mesén-Ramírez P, Spielmann T. The Kelch13 compartment contains highly divergent vesicle trafficking proteins in malaria parasites. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011814. [PMID: 38039338 PMCID: PMC10718435 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Single amino acid changes in the parasite protein Kelch13 (K13) result in reduced susceptibility of P. falciparum parasites to artemisinin and its derivatives (ART). Recent work indicated that K13 and other proteins co-localising with K13 (K13 compartment proteins) are involved in the endocytic uptake of host cell cytosol (HCCU) and that a reduction in HCCU results in reduced susceptibility to ART. HCCU is critical for parasite survival but is poorly understood, with the K13 compartment proteins among the few proteins so far functionally linked to this process. Here we further defined the composition of the K13 compartment by analysing more hits from a previous BioID, showing that MyoF and MCA2 as well as Kelch13 interaction candidate (KIC) 11 and 12 are found at this site. Functional analyses, tests for ART susceptibility as well as comparisons of structural similarities using AlphaFold2 predictions of these and previously identified proteins showed that vesicle trafficking and endocytosis domains were frequent in proteins involved in resistance or endocytosis (or both), comprising one group of K13 compartment proteins. While this strengthened the link of the K13 compartment to endocytosis, many proteins of this group showed unusual domain combinations and large parasite-specific regions, indicating a high level of taxon-specific adaptation of this process. Another group of K13 compartment proteins did not influence endocytosis or ART susceptibility and lacked detectable vesicle trafficking domains. We here identified the first protein of this group that is important for asexual blood stage development and showed that it likely is involved in invasion. Overall, this work identified novel proteins functioning in endocytosis and at the K13 compartment. Together with comparisons of structural predictions it provides a repertoire of functional domains at the K13 compartment that indicate a high level of adaption of endocytosis in malaria parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Schmidt
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Jakob Birnbaum
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Jana Dröge
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ernst Jonscher
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sven Flemming
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
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5
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Pietsch E, Ramaprasad A, Bielfeld S, Wohlfarter Y, Maco B, Niedermüller K, Wilcke L, Kloehn J, Keller MA, Soldati-Favre D, Blackman MJ, Gilberger TW, Burda PC. A patatin-like phospholipase is important for mitochondrial function in malaria parasites. mBio 2023; 14:e0171823. [PMID: 37882543 PMCID: PMC10746288 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01718-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium parasites rely on a functional electron transport chain (ETC) within their mitochondrion for proliferation, and compounds targeting mitochondrial functions are validated antimalarials. Here, we localize Plasmodium falciparum patatin-like phospholipase 2 (PfPNPLA2, PF3D7_1358000) to the mitochondrion and reveal that disruption of the PfPNPLA2 gene impairs asexual replication. PfPNPLA2-null parasites are hypersensitive to proguanil and inhibitors of the mitochondrial ETC, including atovaquone. In addition, PfPNPLA2-deficient parasites show reduced mitochondrial respiration and reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, indicating that disruption of PfPNPLA2 leads to a defect in the parasite ETC. Lipidomic analysis of the mitochondrial phospholipid cardiolipin (CL) reveals that loss of PfPNPLA2 is associated with a moderate shift toward shorter-chained and more saturated CL species, implying a contribution of PfPNPLA2 to CL remodeling. PfPNPLA2-deficient parasites display profound defects in gametocytogenesis, underlining the importance of a functional mitochondrial ETC during both the asexual and sexual development of the parasite. IMPORTANCE For their proliferation within red blood cells, malaria parasites depend on a functional electron transport chain (ETC) within their mitochondrion, which is the target of several antimalarial drugs. Here, we have used gene disruption to identify a patatin-like phospholipase, PfPNPLA2, as important for parasite replication and mitochondrial function in Plasmodium falciparum. Parasites lacking PfPNPLA2 show defects in their ETC and become hypersensitive to mitochondrion-targeting drugs. Furthermore, PfPNPLA2-deficient parasites show differences in the composition of their cardiolipins, a unique class of phospholipids with key roles in mitochondrial functions. Finally, we demonstrate that parasites devoid of PfPNPLA2 have a defect in gametocyte maturation, underlining the importance of a functional ETC for parasite transmission to the mosquito vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Pietsch
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Abhinay Ramaprasad
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sabrina Bielfeld
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Yvonne Wohlfarter
- Institute of Human Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Bohumil Maco
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Korbinian Niedermüller
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Louisa Wilcke
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Joachim Kloehn
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Markus A. Keller
- Institute of Human Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Dominique Soldati-Favre
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Michael J. Blackman
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tim-Wolf Gilberger
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Paul-Christian Burda
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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6
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Simoiu M, Codreanu R, Corlatescu AD, Pauna AM, Cilievici SE. Camillo Golgi's Impact on Malaria Studies. Cells 2023; 12:2156. [PMID: 37681888 PMCID: PMC10487059 DOI: 10.3390/cells12172156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Camillo Golgi was an esteemed Italian physician and biologist who made major advances in malaria research between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His groundbreaking contributions in histology, especially through the development of the Golgi staining technique, revolutionized our understanding of cell structures-including Plasmodium parasites-through visualization. Golgi staining also allowed researchers to observe its complex life cycle while documenting it. His careful observations of malaria led to the identification and characterization of its various stages, both asexual forms within human red blood cells, as well as sexual forms carried by mosquito vectors. Golgi's research highlighted the key role mosquitoes play in malaria transmission. He demonstrated the presence of Plasmodium sporozoites within the salivary glands of infected mosquitoes, providing insight into its life cycle and the dynamics of parasite transmission. His comprehensive approach contributed significantly to our understanding of malaria as a systemic illness, leading to subsequent research efforts within this field. The Golgi Protein complex is often located within the cis-Golgi of blood parasite life cycles and mosquito stages, indicating its possible role in optimizing asexual development during blood stages. Furthermore, its expression can be conditionally repressed or its gene can be inactivated to optimize this potential role in improving its functionality for optimizing sexual development during blood stages. Camillo Golgi remains one of the leading lights of malaria research today. His innovative staining techniques, detailed observations, and insightful interpretations have laid the groundwork for subsequent discoveries and advancements in malaria studies. By deciphering intricate parasite life cycle interactions with hosts, his work has provided invaluable insights into malaria biology, pathogenesis, and epidemiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madalina Simoiu
- Department of Parasitology, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania; (M.S.); (R.C.)
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases “Prof. Dr. Matei Balș”, 021105 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Radu Codreanu
- Department of Parasitology, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania; (M.S.); (R.C.)
| | - Antonio-Daniel Corlatescu
- Department of Neurosurgery, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Andreeea Marilena Pauna
- Department of Epidemiology, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania;
- Military Medicine Institute, 010919 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Suzana Elena Cilievici
- Department of Parasitology, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania; (M.S.); (R.C.)
- Colentina Clinical Hospital, 021151 Bucharest, Romania
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7
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Romano PS, Akematsu T, Besteiro S, Bindschedler A, Carruthers VB, Chahine Z, Coppens I, Descoteaux A, Alberto Duque TL, He CY, Heussler V, Le Roch KG, Li FJ, de Menezes JPB, Menna-Barreto RFS, Mottram JC, Schmuckli-Maurer J, Turk B, Tavares Veras PS, Salassa BN, Vanrell MC. Autophagy in protists and their hosts: When, how and why? AUTOPHAGY REPORTS 2023; 2:2149211. [PMID: 37064813 PMCID: PMC10104450 DOI: 10.1080/27694127.2022.2149211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Pathogenic protists are a group of organisms responsible for causing a variety of human diseases including malaria, sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, and toxoplasmosis, among others. These diseases, which affect more than one billion people globally, mainly the poorest populations, are characterized by severe chronic stages and the lack of effective antiparasitic treatment. Parasitic protists display complex life-cycles and go through different cellular transformations in order to adapt to the different hosts they live in. Autophagy, a highly conserved cellular degradation process, has emerged as a key mechanism required for these differentiation processes, as well as other functions that are crucial to parasite fitness. In contrast to yeasts and mammals, protist autophagy is characterized by a modest number of conserved autophagy-related proteins (ATGs) that, even though, can drive the autophagosome formation and degradation. In addition, during their intracellular cycle, the interaction of these pathogens with the host autophagy system plays a crucial role resulting in a beneficial or harmful effect that is important for the outcome of the infection. In this review, we summarize the current state of knowledge on autophagy and other related mechanisms in pathogenic protists and their hosts. We sought to emphasize when, how, and why this process takes place, and the effects it may have on the parasitic cycle. A better understanding of the significance of autophagy for the protist life-cycle will potentially be helpful to design novel anti-parasitic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Silvia Romano
- Laboratorio de Biología de Trypanosoma cruzi y de la célula hospedadora. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. (IHEM-CONICET-UNCUYO). Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Av. Libertador 80 (5500), Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Takahiko Akematsu
- Department of Biosciences, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | | | - Vern B Carruthers
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Zeinab Chahine
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Isabelle Coppens
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute. Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Baltimore 21205, MD, USA
| | - Albert Descoteaux
- Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Laval, QC
| | - Thabata Lopes Alberto Duque
- Autophagy Inflammation and Metabolism Center, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Cynthia Y He
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Volker Heussler
- Institute of Cell Biology.University of Bern. Baltzerstr. 4 3012 Bern
| | - Karine G Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Feng-Jun Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | | | | | - Jeremy C Mottram
- York Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
| | | | - Boris Turk
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Structural Biology, Jožef Stefan Institute, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Patricia Sampaio Tavares Veras
- Laboratory of Host-Parasite Interaction and Epidemiology, Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Fiocruz-Bahia
- National Institute of Science and Technology of Tropical Diseases - National Council for Scientific Research and Development (CNPq)
| | - Betiana Nebai Salassa
- Laboratorio de Biología de Trypanosoma cruzi y de la célula hospedadora. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. (IHEM-CONICET-UNCUYO). Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Av. Libertador 80 (5500), Mendoza, Argentina
| | - María Cristina Vanrell
- Laboratorio de Biología de Trypanosoma cruzi y de la célula hospedadora. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. (IHEM-CONICET-UNCUYO). Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Av. Libertador 80 (5500), Mendoza, Argentina
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8
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Functional inactivation of Plasmodium falciparum glycogen synthase kinase GSK3 modulates erythrocyte invasion and blocks gametocyte maturation. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102360. [PMID: 35961464 PMCID: PMC9478393 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths every year. The lack of an effective vaccine and the global spread of multidrug resistant parasites hampers the fight against the disease and underlines the need for new antimalarial drugs. Central to the pathogenesis of malaria is the proliferation of Plasmodium parasites within human erythrocytes. Parasites invade erythrocytes via a coordinated sequence of receptor–ligand interactions between the parasite and the host cell. Posttranslational modifications such as protein phosphorylation are known to be key regulators in this process and are mediated by protein kinases. For several parasite kinases, including the Plasmodium falciparum glycogen synthase kinase 3 (PfGSK3), inhibitors have been shown to block erythrocyte invasion. Here, we provide an assessment of PfGSK3 function by reverse genetics. Using targeted gene disruption, we show the active gene copy, PfGSK3β, is not essential for asexual blood stage proliferation, although it modulates efficient erythrocyte invasion. We found functional inactivation leads to a 69% decreased growth rate and confirmed this growth defect by rescue experiments with wildtype and catalytically inactive mutants. Functional knockout of PfGSK3β does not lead to transcriptional upregulation of the second copy of PfGSK3. We further analyze expression, localization, and function of PfGSK3β during gametocytogenesis using a parasite line allowing conditional induction of sexual commitment. We demonstrate PfGSK3β-deficient gametocytes show a strikingly malformed morphology leading to the death of parasites in later stages of gametocyte development. Taken together, these findings are important for our understanding and the development of PfGSK3 as an antimalarial target.
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9
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Anwar O, Islam M, Thakur V, Kaur I, Mohmmed A. Defining ER-mitochondria contact dynamics in Plasmodium falciparum by targeting component of phospholipid synthesis pathway, Phosphatidylserine synthase (PfPSS). Mitochondrion 2022; 65:124-138. [PMID: 35623558 DOI: 10.1016/j.mito.2022.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The malaria parasite completes the asexual cycle inside the host erythrocyte, which requires extensive membrane biogenesis for its development and multiplication. Metabolic pathways for the synthesis of membrane phospholipids (PL), including phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS), are crucial for parasite survival. Here, we have studied the P. falciparum enzyme responsible for PS synthesis, Phosphatidylserine synthase (PfPSS), GFP targeting approach confirmed it to be localized in the parasite ER as well as in ER-protrusions. Detailed high resolution microscopy, using these transgenic parasites expressing PfPSS-GFP, redefined the dynamics of ER during the intraerythrocytic life cycle and its association with the mitochondria. We report for the first time presence of ER-mitochondria contact (ERMC) in Plasmodium; ERMC is formed by PfPSS containing ER-protrusions, which associate with the mitochondria surface throughout the parasite growth cycle. Further, ERMC is found to be stable and refractory to ER and mitochondrial stresses, suggesting that it is formed through strong tethering complexes. PfPSS was found to interact with other major key enzyme involved in PL synthesis, choline/Etn-phosphotransferase (CEPT), which suggest that ER is the major site for PL biosynthesis. Overall, this study defines the morphological organisation of ERMC which mediates PL synthesis/transport in the Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omair Anwar
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 067, India
| | - Muzahidul Islam
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 067, India
| | - Vandana Thakur
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 067, India
| | - Inderjeet Kaur
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 067, India
| | - Asif Mohmmed
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 067, India.
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10
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PMRT1, a
Plasmodium
-Specific Parasite Plasma Membrane Transporter, Is Essential for Asexual and Sexual Blood Stage Development. mBio 2022; 13:e0062322. [PMID: 35404116 PMCID: PMC9040750 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00623-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum
-infected erythrocytes possess multiple compartments with designated membranes. Transporter proteins embedded in these membranes not only facilitate movement of nutrients, metabolites, and other molecules between these compartments, but also are common therapeutic targets and can confer antimalarial drug resistance.
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11
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Mesén-Ramírez P, Bergmann B, Elhabiri M, Zhu L, von Thien H, Castro-Peña C, Gilberger TW, Davioud-Charvet E, Bozdech Z, Bachmann A, Spielmann T. The parasitophorous vacuole nutrient channel is critical for drug access in malaria parasites and modulates the artemisinin resistance fitness cost. Cell Host Microbe 2021; 29:1774-1787.e9. [PMID: 34863371 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2021.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Intraerythrocytic malaria parasites proliferate bounded by a parasitophorous vacuolar membrane (PVM). The PVM contains nutrient permeable channels (NPCs) conductive to small molecules, but their relevance for parasite growth for individual metabolites is largely untested. Here we show that growth-relevant levels of major carbon and energy sources pass through the NPCs. Moreover, we find that NPCs are a gate for several antimalarial drugs, highlighting their permeability properties as a critical factor for drug design. Looking into NPC-dependent amino acid transport, we find that amino acid shortage is a reason for the fitness cost in artemisinin-resistant (ARTR) parasites and provide evidence that NPC upregulation to increase amino acids acquisition is a mechanism of ARTR parasites in vitro and in human infections to compensate this fitness cost. Hence, the NPCs are important for nutrient and drug access and reveal amino acid deprivation as a critical constraint in ARTR parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Mesén-Ramírez
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Bärbel Bergmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mourad Elhabiri
- UMR7042 Université de Strasbourg‒CNRS‒UHA, Laboratoire d'Innovation Moléculaire et Applications (LIMA), Team Bio(IN)organic and Medicinal Chemistry, European School of Chemistry, Polymers and Materials (ECPM), 25 Rue Becquerel, F-67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Lei Zhu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Heidrun von Thien
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, Building 15, 22607, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Carolina Castro-Peña
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tim-Wolf Gilberger
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, Building 15, 22607, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Davioud-Charvet
- UMR7042 Université de Strasbourg‒CNRS‒UHA, Laboratoire d'Innovation Moléculaire et Applications (LIMA), Team Bio(IN)organic and Medicinal Chemistry, European School of Chemistry, Polymers and Materials (ECPM), 25 Rue Becquerel, F-67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Zbynek Bozdech
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore; Honorary Visiting Research Fellow, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Anna Bachmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, Building 15, 22607, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany.
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12
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Characterization of Apicomplexan Amino Acid Transporters (ApiATs) in the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum. mSphere 2021; 6:e0074321. [PMID: 34756057 PMCID: PMC8579892 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00743-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
During the symptomatic human blood phase, malaria parasites replicate within red blood cells. Parasite proliferation relies on the uptake of nutrients, such as amino acids, from the host cell and blood plasma, requiring transport across multiple membranes. Amino acids are delivered to the parasite through the parasite-surrounding vacuolar compartment by specialized nutrient-permeable channels of the erythrocyte membrane and the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM). However, further transport of amino acids across the parasite plasma membrane (PPM) is currently not well characterized. In this study, we focused on a family of Apicomplexan amino acid transporters (ApiATs) that comprises five members in Plasmodium falciparum. First, we localized four of the P. falciparum ApiATs (PfApiATs) at the PPM using endogenous green fluorescent protein (GFP) tagging. Next, we applied reverse genetic approaches to probe into their essentiality during asexual replication and gametocytogenesis. Upon inducible knockdown and targeted gene disruption, a reduced asexual parasite proliferation was detected for PfApiAT2 and PfApiAT4. Functional inactivation of individual PfApiATs targeted in this study had no effect on gametocyte development. Our data suggest that individual PfApiATs are partially redundant during asexual in vitro proliferation and fully redundant during gametocytogenesis of P. falciparum parasites. IMPORTANCE Malaria parasites live and multiply inside cells. To facilitate their extremely fast intracellular proliferation, they hijack and transform their host cells. This also requires the active uptake of nutrients, such as amino acids, from the host cell and the surrounding environment through various membranes that are the consequence of the parasite’s intracellular lifestyle. In this paper, we focus on a family of putative amino acid transporters termed ApiAT. We show expression and localization of four transporters in the parasite plasma membrane of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes that represent one interface of the pathogen to its host cell. We probed into the impact of functional inactivation of individual transporters on parasite growth in asexual and sexual blood stages of P. falciparum and reveal that only two of them show a modest but significant reduction in parasite proliferation but no impact on gametocytogenesis, pointing toward dispensability within this transporter family.
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13
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Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites, such as Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium falciparum, are the cause of many important human and animal diseases. While T. gondii tachyzoites replicate through endodyogeny, during which two daughter cells are formed within the parental cell, P. falciparum replicates through schizogony, where up to 32 parasites are formed in a single infected red blood cell and even thousands of daughter cells during mosquito- or liver-stage development. These processes require a tightly orchestrated division and distribution over the daughter parasites of one-per-cell organelles such as the mitochondrion and apicoplast. Although proper organelle segregation is highly essential, the molecular mechanism and the key proteins involved remain largely unknown. In this review, we describe organelle dynamics during cell division in T. gondii and P. falciparum, summarize the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying organelle fission in these parasites, and introduce candidate fission proteins.
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14
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Wiser MF. Unique Endomembrane Systems and Virulence in Pathogenic Protozoa. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11080822. [PMID: 34440567 PMCID: PMC8401336 DOI: 10.3390/life11080822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Virulence in pathogenic protozoa is often tied to secretory processes such as the expression of adhesins on parasite surfaces or the secretion of proteases to assisted in tissue invasion and other proteins to avoid the immune system. This review is a broad overview of the endomembrane systems of pathogenic protozoa with a focus on Giardia, Trichomonas, Entamoeba, kinetoplastids, and apicomplexans. The focus is on unique features of these protozoa and how these features relate to virulence. In general, the basic elements of the endocytic and exocytic pathways are present in all protozoa. Some of these elements, especially the endosomal compartments, have been repurposed by the various species and quite often the repurposing is associated with virulence. The Apicomplexa exhibit the most unique endomembrane systems. This includes unique secretory organelles that play a central role in interactions between parasite and host and are involved in the invasion of host cells. Furthermore, as intracellular parasites, the apicomplexans extensively modify their host cells through the secretion of proteins and other material into the host cell. This includes a unique targeting motif for proteins destined for the host cell. Most notable among the apicomplexans is the malaria parasite, which extensively modifies and exports numerous proteins into the host erythrocyte. These modifications of the host erythrocyte include the formation of unique membranes and structures in the host erythrocyte cytoplasm and on the erythrocyte membrane. The transport of parasite proteins to the host erythrocyte involves several unique mechanisms and components, as well as the generation of compartments within the erythrocyte that participate in extraparasite trafficking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark F Wiser
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
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15
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Wichers JS, Wunderlich J, Heincke D, Pazicky S, Strauss J, Schmitt M, Kimmel J, Wilcke L, Scharf S, von Thien H, Burda PC, Spielmann T, Löw C, Filarsky M, Bachmann A, Gilberger TW. Identification of novel inner membrane complex and apical annuli proteins of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Cell Microbiol 2021; 23:e13341. [PMID: 33830607 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.13341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The inner membrane complex (IMC) is a defining feature of apicomplexan parasites, which confers stability and shape to the cell, functions as a scaffolding compartment during the formation of daughter cells and plays an important role in motility and invasion during different life cycle stages of these single-celled organisms. To explore the IMC proteome of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum we applied a proximity-dependent biotin identification (BioID)-based proteomics approach, using the established IMC marker protein Photosensitized INA-Labelled protein 1 (PhIL1) as bait in asexual blood-stage parasites. Subsequent mass spectrometry-based peptide identification revealed enrichment of 12 known IMC proteins and several uncharacterized candidate proteins. We validated nine of these previously uncharacterized proteins by endogenous GFP-tagging. Six of these represent new IMC proteins, while three proteins have a distinct apical localization that most likely represents structures described as apical annuli in Toxoplasma gondii. Additionally, various Kelch13 interacting candidates were identified, suggesting an association of the Kelch13 compartment and the IMC in schizont and merozoite stages. This work extends the number of validated IMC proteins in the malaria parasite and reveals for the first time the existence of apical annuli proteins in P. falciparum. Additionally, it provides evidence for a spatial association between the Kelch13 compartment and the IMC in late blood-stage parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Stephan Wichers
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Juliane Wunderlich
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dorothee Heincke
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Samuel Pazicky
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Strauss
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marius Schmitt
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jessica Kimmel
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Louisa Wilcke
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sarah Scharf
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Heidrun von Thien
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Paul-Christian Burda
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Löw
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Filarsky
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anna Bachmann
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Tim W Gilberger
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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16
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Taku I, Hirai T, Makiuchi T, Shinzawa N, Iwanaga S, Annoura T, Nagamune K, Nozaki T, Saito-Nakano Y. Rab5b-Associated Arf1 GTPase Regulates Export of N-Myristoylated Adenylate Kinase 2 From the Endoplasmic Reticulum in Plasmodium falciparum. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 10:610200. [PMID: 33604307 PMCID: PMC7884776 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.610200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum extensively remodels human erythrocytes by exporting hundreds of parasite proteins. This remodeling is closely linked to the Plasmodium virulence-related functions and immune evasion. The N-terminal export signal named PEXEL (Plasmodium export element) was identified to be important for the export of proteins beyond the PVM, however, the issue of how these PEXEL-positive proteins are transported and regulated by Rab GTPases from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the cell surface has remained poorly understood. Previously, we identified new aspects of the trafficking of N-myristoylated adenylate kinase 2 (PfAK2), which lacks the PEXEL motif and is regulated by the PfRab5b GTPase. Overexpression of PfRab5b suppressed the transport of PfAK2 to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane and PfAK2 was accumulated in the punctate compartment within the parasite. Here, we report the identification of PfRab5b associated proteins and dissect the pathway regulated by PfRab5b. We isolated two membrane trafficking GTPases PfArf1 and PfRab1b by coimmunoprecipitation with PfRab5b and via mass analysis. PfArf1 and PfRab1b are both colocalized with PfRab5b adjacent to the ER in the early erythrocytic stage. A super-resolution microgram of the indirect immunofluorescence assay using PfArf1 or PfRab1b- expressing parasites revealed that PfArf1 and PfRab1b are localized to different ER subdomains. We used a genetic approach to expresses an active or inactive mutant of PfArf1 that specifically inhibited the trafficking of PfAK2 to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane. While expression of PfRab1b mutants did not affect in the PfAK2 transport. In contrast, the export of the PEXEL-positive protein Rifin was decreased by the expression of the inactive mutant of PfRab1b or PfArf1. These data indicate that the transport of PfAK2 and Rifin were recognized at the different ER subdomain by the two independent GTPases: PfAK2 is sorted by PfArf1 into the pathway for the PV, and the export of Rifin might be sequentially regulated by PfArf1 and PfRab1b.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izumi Taku
- Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.,Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Hirai
- Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.,Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Takashi Makiuchi
- Department of Parasitology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Japan
| | - Naoaki Shinzawa
- Department of Environmental Parasitology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shiroh Iwanaga
- Department of Environmental Parasitology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeshi Annoura
- Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kisaburo Nagamune
- Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.,Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Tomoyoshi Nozaki
- Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yumiko Saito-Nakano
- Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
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17
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Siddiqui AA, Saha D, Iqbal MS, Saha SJ, Sarkar S, Banerjee C, Nag S, Mazumder S, De R, Pramanik S, Debsharma S, Bandyopadhyay U. Rab7 of Plasmodium falciparum is involved in its retromer complex assembly near the digestive vacuole. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2020; 1864:129656. [PMID: 32512169 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2020.129656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intracellular protein trafficking is crucial for survival of cell and proper functioning of the organelles; however, these pathways are not well studied in the malaria parasite. Its unique cellular architecture and organellar composition raise an interesting question to investigate. METHODS The interaction of Plasmodium falciparum Rab7 (PfRab7) with vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein 26 (PfVPS26) of retromer complex was shown by coimmunoprecipitation (co-IP). Confocal microscopy was used to show the localization of the complex in the parasite with respect to different organelles. Further chemical tools were employed to explore the role of digestive vacuole (DV) in retromer trafficking in parasite and GTPase activity of PfRab7 was examined. RESULTS PfRab7 was found to be interacting with retromer complex that assembled mostly near DV and the Golgi in trophozoites. Chemical disruption of DV by chloroquine (CQ) led to its disassembly that was further validated by using compound 5f, a heme polymerization inhibitor in the DV. PfRab7 exhibited Mg2+ dependent weak GTPase activity that was inhibited by a specific Rab7 GTPase inhibitor, CID 1067700, which prevented the assembly of retromer complex in P. falciparum and inhibited its growth suggesting the role of GTPase activity of PfRab7 in retromer assembly. CONCLUSION Retromer complex was found to be interacting with PfRab7 and the functional integrity of the DV was found to be important for retromer assembly in P. falciparum. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE This study explores the retromer trafficking in P. falciparum and describes amechanism to validate DV targeting antiplasmodial molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asim Azhar Siddiqui
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Debanjan Saha
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Mohd Shameel Iqbal
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Shubhra Jyoti Saha
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Souvik Sarkar
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Chinmoy Banerjee
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Shiladitya Nag
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Somnath Mazumder
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Rudranil De
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Saikat Pramanik
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Subhashis Debsharma
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Uday Bandyopadhyay
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India.
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18
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Birnbaum J, Scharf S, Schmidt S, Jonscher E, Hoeijmakers WAM, Flemming S, Toenhake CG, Schmitt M, Sabitzki R, Bergmann B, Fröhlke U, Mesén-Ramírez P, Blancke Soares A, Herrmann H, Bártfai R, Spielmann T. A Kelch13-defined endocytosis pathway mediates artemisinin resistance in malaria parasites. Science 2020; 367:51-59. [PMID: 31896710 DOI: 10.1126/science.aax4735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 205] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Artemisinin and its derivatives (ARTs) are the frontline drugs against malaria, but resistance is jeopardizing their effectiveness. ART resistance is mediated by mutations in the parasite's Kelch13 protein, but Kelch13 function and its role in resistance remain unclear. In this study, we identified proteins located at a Kelch13-defined compartment. Inactivation of eight of these proteins, including Kelch13, rendered parasites resistant to ART, revealing a pathway critical for resistance. Functional analysis showed that these proteins are required for endocytosis of hemoglobin from the host cell. Parasites with inactivated Kelch13 or a resistance-conferring Kelch13 mutation displayed reduced hemoglobin endocytosis. ARTs are activated by degradation products of hemoglobin. Hence, reduced activity of Kelch13 and its interactors diminishes hemoglobin endocytosis and thereby ART activation, resulting in parasite resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Birnbaum
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sarah Scharf
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sabine Schmidt
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ernst Jonscher
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Sven Flemming
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christa Geeke Toenhake
- Department of Molecular Biology, Radboud University, Geert Grooteplein 26-28, 6525 GA Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Marius Schmitt
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ricarda Sabitzki
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Bärbel Bergmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Fröhlke
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Paolo Mesén-Ramírez
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Hendrik Herrmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Richárd Bártfai
- Department of Molecular Biology, Radboud University, Geert Grooteplein 26-28, 6525 GA Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany.
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19
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Mesén-Ramírez P, Bergmann B, Tran TT, Garten M, Stäcker J, Naranjo-Prado I, Höhn K, Zimmerberg J, Spielmann T. EXP1 is critical for nutrient uptake across the parasitophorous vacuole membrane of malaria parasites. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000473. [PMID: 31568532 PMCID: PMC6786648 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2019] [Revised: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Intracellular malaria parasites grow in a vacuole delimited by the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane (PVM). This membrane fulfils critical roles for survival of the parasite in its intracellular niche such as in protein export and nutrient acquisition. Using a conditional knockout (KO), we here demonstrate that the abundant integral PVM protein exported protein 1 (EXP1) is essential for parasite survival but that this is independent of its previously postulated function as a glutathione S-transferase (GST). Patch-clamp experiments indicated that EXP1 is critical for the nutrient-permeable channel activity at the PVM. Loss of EXP1 abolished the correct localisation of EXP2, a pore-forming protein required for the nutrient-permeable channel activity and protein export at the PVM. Unexpectedly, loss of EXP1 affected only the nutrient-permeable channel activity of the PVM but not protein export. Parasites with low levels of EXP1 became hypersensitive to low nutrient conditions, indicating that EXP1 indeed is needed for nutrient uptake and experimentally confirming the long-standing hypothesis that the channel activity measured at the PVM is required for parasite nutrient acquisition. Hence, EXP1 is specifically required for the functional expression of EXP2 as the nutrient-permeable channel and is critical for the metabolite supply of malaria parasites. Intracellular malaria parasites reside in a vacuole that is formed by the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane (PVM) that separates the parasite from the host cell. Conditional knock-out reveals that the major integral PVM protein EXP1 is essential for the nutrient permeable channel activity of the PVM, and implicates this channel in parasite nutrient acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Mesén-Ramírez
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Bärbel Bergmann
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thuy Tuyen Tran
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Garten
- Section on Integrative Biophysics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jan Stäcker
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Isabel Naranjo-Prado
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Höhn
- Electron Microscopy Unit, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Joshua Zimmerberg
- Section on Integrative Biophysics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
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20
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Wichers JS, Scholz JAM, Strauss J, Witt S, Lill A, Ehnold LI, Neupert N, Liffner B, Lühken R, Petter M, Lorenzen S, Wilson DW, Löw C, Lavazec C, Bruchhaus I, Tannich E, Gilberger TW, Bachmann A. Dissecting the Gene Expression, Localization, Membrane Topology, and Function of the Plasmodium falciparum STEVOR Protein Family. mBio 2019; 10:e01500-19. [PMID: 31363031 PMCID: PMC6667621 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01500-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
During its intraerythrocytic development, the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum exposes variant surface antigens (VSAs) on infected erythrocytes to establish and maintain an infection. One family of small VSAs is the polymorphic STEVOR proteins, which are marked for export to the host cell surface through their PEXEL signal peptide. Interestingly, some STEVORs have also been reported to localize to the parasite plasma membrane and apical organelles, pointing toward a putative function in host cell egress or invasion. Using deep RNA sequencing analysis, we characterized P. falciparumstevor gene expression across the intraerythrocytic development cycle, including free merozoites, in detail and used the resulting stevor expression profiles for hierarchical clustering. We found that most stevor genes show biphasic expression oscillation, with maximum expression during trophozoite stages and a second peak in late schizonts. We selected four STEVOR variants, confirmed the expected export of these proteins to the host cell membrane, and tracked them to a secondary location, either to the parasite plasma membrane or the secretory organelles of merozoites in late schizont stages. We investigated the function of a particular STEVOR that showed rhoptry localization and demonstrated its role at the parasite-host interface during host cell invasion by specific antisera and targeted gene disruption. Experimentally determined membrane topology of this STEVOR revealed a single transmembrane domain exposing the semiconserved as well as variable protein regions to the cell surface.IMPORTANCE Malaria claims about half a million lives each year. Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of the most severe form of the disease, uses proteins that are translocated to the surface of infected erythrocytes for immune evasion. To circumvent the detection of these gene products by the immune system, the parasite evolved a complex strategy that includes gene duplications and elaborate sequence polymorphism. STEVORs are one family of these variant surface antigens and are encoded by about 40 genes. Using deep RNA sequencing of blood-stage parasites, including free merozoites, we first established stevor expression of the cultured isolate and compared it with published transcriptomes. We reveal a biphasic expression of most stevor genes and confirm this for individual STEVORs at the protein level. The membrane topology of a rhoptry-associated variant was experimentally elucidated and linked to host cell invasion, underlining the importance of this multifunctional protein family for parasite proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Stephan Wichers
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Jan Strauss
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), DESY, and European Molecular Biology Laboratory Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Witt
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andrés Lill
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Benjamin Liffner
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Renke Lühken
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michaela Petter
- Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Stephan Lorenzen
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Danny W Wilson
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Christian Löw
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), DESY, and European Molecular Biology Laboratory Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Iris Bruchhaus
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Egbert Tannich
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tim W Gilberger
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anna Bachmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
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21
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PfVPS45 Is Required for Host Cell Cytosol Uptake by Malaria Blood Stage Parasites. Cell Host Microbe 2019; 25:166-173.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2018.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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22
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Hallée S, Thériault C, Gagnon D, Kehrer J, Frischknecht F, Mair GR, Richard D. Identification of a Golgi apparatus protein complex important for the asexual erythrocytic cycle of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Cell Microbiol 2018; 20:e12843. [PMID: 29579782 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.12843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Revised: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Compared with other eukaryotic cell types, malaria parasites appear to possess a more rudimentary Golgi apparatus being composed of dispersed, unstacked cis and trans-cisternae. Despite playing a central role in the secretory pathway of the parasite, few Plasmodium Golgi resident proteins have been characterised. We had previously identified a new Golgi resident protein of unknown function, which we had named Golgi Protein 1, and now show that it forms a complex with a previously uncharacterised transmembrane protein (Golgi Protein 2, GP2). The Golgi Protein complex localises to the cis-Golgi throughout the erythrocytic cycle and potentially also during the mosquito stages. Analysis of parasite strains where GP1 expression is conditionally repressed and/or the GP2 gene is inactivated reveals that though the Golgi protein complex is not essential at any stage of the parasite life cycle, it is important for optimal asexual development in the blood stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Hallée
- Centre de recherche en infectiologie, CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Catherine Thériault
- Centre de recherche en infectiologie, CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Dominic Gagnon
- Centre de recherche en infectiologie, CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jessica Kehrer
- Integrative Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Friedrich Frischknecht
- Integrative Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Gunnar R Mair
- Integrative Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dave Richard
- Centre de recherche en infectiologie, CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
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23
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Schlott AC, Holder AA, Tate EW. N-Myristoylation as a Drug Target in Malaria: Exploring the Role of N-Myristoyltransferase Substrates in the Inhibitor Mode of Action. ACS Infect Dis 2018; 4:449-457. [PMID: 29363940 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.7b00203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Malaria continues to be a significant cause of death and morbidity worldwide, and there is a need for new antimalarial drugs with novel targets. We have focused as a potential target for drug development on N-myristoyl transferase (NMT), an enzyme that acylates a wide range of substrate proteins. The NMT substrates in Plasmodium falciparum include some proteins that are common to processes in eukaryotes such as secretory transport and others that are unique to apicomplexan parasites. Myristoylation facilitates a protein interaction with membranes that may be strengthened by further lipidation, and the inhibition of NMT results in incorrect protein localization and the consequent disruption of function. The diverse roles of NMT substrates mean that NMT inhibition has a pleiotropic and severe impact on parasite development, growth, and multiplication. To study the mode of action underlying NMT inhibition, it is important to consider the function of proteins upstream and downstream of NMT. In this work, we therefore present our current perspective on the different functions of known NMT substrates as well as compare the inhibition of cotranslational myristoylation to the inhibition of known targets upstream of NMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja C. Schlott
- Malaria Parasitology, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT London, United Kingdom
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Imperial College Road, SW7 2AZ London, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- Malaria Parasitology, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT London, United Kingdom
| | - Edward W. Tate
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Imperial College Road, SW7 2AZ London, United Kingdom
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24
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Herman EK, Yiangou L, Cantoni DM, Miller CN, Marciano-Cabral F, Anthonyrajah E, Dacks JB, Tsaousis AD. Identification and characterisation of a cryptic Golgi complex in Naegleria gruberi. J Cell Sci 2018; 131:jcs213306. [PMID: 29535209 PMCID: PMC5963838 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.213306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the Golgi complex has a conserved morphology of flattened stacked cisternae in most eukaryotes, it has lost the stacked organisation in several lineages, raising the question of what range of morphologies is possible for the Golgi. In order to understand this diversity, it is necessary to characterise the Golgi in many different lineages. Here, we identify the Golgi complex in Naegleria, one of the first descriptions of an unstacked Golgi organelle in a non-parasitic eukaryote, other than fungi. We provide a comprehensive list of Golgi-associated membrane trafficking genes encoded in two species of Naegleria and show that nearly all are expressed in mouse-passaged N. fowleri cells. We then study distribution of the Golgi marker (Ng)CopB by fluorescence in Naegleria gruberi, identifying membranous structures that are disrupted by Brefeldin A treatment, consistent with Golgi localisation. Confocal and immunoelectron microscopy reveals that NgCOPB localises to tubular membranous structures. Our data identify the Golgi organelle for the first time in this major eukaryotic lineage, and provide the rare example of a tubular morphology, representing an important sampling point for the comparative understanding of Golgi organellar diversity.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K Herman
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2H7
| | - Lyto Yiangou
- Laboratory of Molecular and Evolutionary Parasitology, RAPID group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, UK
| | - Diego M Cantoni
- Laboratory of Molecular and Evolutionary Parasitology, RAPID group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, UK
| | - Christopher N Miller
- Laboratory of Molecular and Evolutionary Parasitology, RAPID group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, UK
| | - Francine Marciano-Cabral
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, 1101 E. Marshall St, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, USA
| | - Erin Anthonyrajah
- Laboratory of Molecular and Evolutionary Parasitology, RAPID group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, UK
| | - Joel B Dacks
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2H7
| | - Anastasios D Tsaousis
- Laboratory of Molecular and Evolutionary Parasitology, RAPID group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, UK
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25
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Barlow LD, Nývltová E, Aguilar M, Tachezy J, Dacks JB. A sophisticated, differentiated Golgi in the ancestor of eukaryotes. BMC Biol 2018; 16:27. [PMID: 29510703 PMCID: PMC5840792 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-018-0492-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Golgi apparatus is a central meeting point for the endocytic and exocytic systems in eukaryotic cells, and the organelle's dysfunction results in human disease. Its characteristic morphology of multiple differentiated compartments organized into stacked flattened cisternae is one of the most recognizable features of modern eukaryotic cells, and yet how this is maintained is not well understood. The Golgi is also an ancient aspect of eukaryotes, but the extent and nature of its complexity in the ancestor of eukaryotes is unclear. Various proteins have roles in organizing the Golgi, chief among them being the golgins. RESULTS We address Golgi evolution by analyzing genome sequences from organisms which have lost stacked cisternae as a feature of their Golgi and those that have not. Using genomics and immunomicroscopy, we first identify Golgi in the anaerobic amoeba Mastigamoeba balamuthi. We then searched 87 genomes spanning eukaryotic diversity for presence of the most prominent proteins implicated in Golgi structure, focusing on golgins. We show some candidates as animal specific and others as ancestral to eukaryotes. CONCLUSIONS None of the proteins examined show a phyletic distribution that correlates with the morphology of stacked cisternae, suggesting the possibility of stacking as an emergent property. Strikingly, however, the combination of golgins conserved among diverse eukaryotes allows for the most detailed reconstruction of the organelle to date, showing a sophisticated Golgi with differentiated compartments and trafficking pathways in the common eukaryotic ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lael D Barlow
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, 5-31 Medical Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Eva Nývltová
- Department of Parasitology (BIOCEV), Faculty of Science, Charles University, Průmyslová 595, 252 42, Vestec, Czech Republic.,Department of Neurology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Avenue, Rosenstiel Medical Science Building (RMSB) # 2067, Miami, Florida, 33136, USA
| | - Maria Aguilar
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, 5-31 Medical Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Jan Tachezy
- Department of Parasitology (BIOCEV), Faculty of Science, Charles University, Průmyslová 595, 252 42, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Joel B Dacks
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, 5-31 Medical Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H7, Canada. .,Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK.
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26
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Evidence that the Plasmodium falciparum Protein Sortilin Potentially Acts as an Escorter for the Trafficking of the Rhoptry-Associated Membrane Antigen to the Rhoptries. mSphere 2018; 3:mSphere00551-17. [PMID: 29299530 PMCID: PMC5750388 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00551-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The rhoptry organelle is critical for the invasion of an erythrocyte by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Despite their critical roles, the mechanisms behind their biogenesis are still poorly defined. Our earlier work had suggested that the interaction between the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored rhoptry-associated membrane antigen (RAMA) and the soluble rhoptry-associated protein 1 was involved in the transport of the latter from the Golgi apparatus to the rhoptry. However, how this protein complex could interact with the intracellular trafficking machinery was unknown at this stage. Here we show that the P. falciparum homologue of the transmembrane protein sortilin-VPS10 interacts with regions of RAMA that are sufficient to target a fluorescent reporter to the rhoptries. These results suggest that P. falciparum sortilin (PfSortilin) could potentially act as the escorter for the transport of rhoptry-destined cargo. IMPORTANCE The malaria parasite is a massive burden in several parts of the world. Worryingly, the parasite has become resistant to several of the drugs commonly used to treat the disease, and at this time, there is no commercial vaccine. It is therefore critical to identify new targets for the development of antimalarials. To survive in the human body, the malaria parasite needs to invade red blood cells. For this, it uses a variety of effectors stored in organelles forming a structure called the apical complex. The mechanisms behind how the parasite generates the apical complex are poorly understood. In this study, we present evidence that a transmembrane protein called sortilin potentially acts as an escorter to transport proteins from the Golgi apparatus to the rhoptries, a component of the apical complex. Our study provides new insight into the biogenesis of a critical structure of the malaria parasite.
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27
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Abstract
Mechanisms by which 3'-phosphorylated phosphoinositides (3'-PIPs) regulate the development of apicomplexan parasites Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii are poorly understood. The catabolic process of autophagy, which is dependent on autophagy-related proteins (ATGs), is one of the major targets of 3'-PIPs in yeast and mammals. In the present study, we identified autophagy-related protein ATG18 as an effector of 3'-PIPs in these parasites. Pfalciparum ATG18 (PfATG18) and Tgondii ATG18 (TgATG18) interact with 3'-PIPs but exhibited differences in their specificity of interaction with the ligand PIP. The conditional knockdown of Tgondii or Pfalciparum ATG18 (Tg/PfATG18) impaired replication of parasites and resulted in their delayed death. Intriguingly, ATG18 depletion resulted in the loss of the apicomplexan parasite-specific nonphotosynthetic plastid-like organelle apicoplast, which harbors the machinery for biosynthesis of key metabolites, and the interaction of ATG18 to phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P) was critical for apicoplast inheritance. Furthermore, ATG18 regulates membrane association and apicoplast localization of ATG8. These findings provide insights into a novel noncanonical role of ATG18 in apicoplast inheritance. This function of ATG18 in organelle biogenesis is unprecedented in any organism and may be conserved across most apicomplexan parasites.IMPORTANCE Typically, autophagy is a catabolic process utilized by cells for their survival upon encountering nutrient-limiting conditions. The autophagy machinery is very tightly regulated, and autophagy-related genes (ATGs) play a pivotal role in this process. In the present study, we report a novel noncanonical function of autophagy-related protein ATG18 in inheritance of the nonphotosynthetic plastid-like organelle apicoplast in apicomplexan parasites Plasmodium and Toxoplasma ATG18 depletion in these parasites resulted in "delayed death," which was the result of loss of apicoplast and impaired parasite division. Pf/TgATG18 interact with 3'-phosphorylated PIPs, which guide their cellular localization in the parasite, which is essential for their function.
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28
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Thériault C, Richard D. Characterization of a putative Plasmodium falciparum SAC1 phosphoinositide-phosphatase homologue potentially required for survival during the asexual erythrocytic stages. Sci Rep 2017; 7:12710. [PMID: 28983103 PMCID: PMC5629215 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12762-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite marked reductions in morbidity and mortality in the last ten years, malaria still takes a tremendous toll on human populations throughout tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. The absence of an effective vaccine and resistance to most antimalarial drugs available demonstrate the urgent need for new intervention strategies. Phosphoinositides are a class of lipids with critical roles in numerous processes and their specific subcellular distribution, generated through the action of kinases and phosphatases, define organelle identity in a wide range of eukaryotic cells. Recent studies have highlighted important functions of phosphoinositide kinases in several parts of the Plasmodium lifecycle such as hemoglobin endocytosis and cytokinesis during the erythrocytic stage however, nothing is known with regards to the parasite's putative phosphoinositide phosphatases. We present the identification and initial characterization of a putative homologue of the SAC1 phosphoinositide phosphatase family. Our results show that the protein is expressed throughout the asexual blood stages and that it localises to the endoplasmic reticulum and potentially to the Golgi apparatus. Furthermore, conditional knockdown and knockout studies suggest that a minimal amount of the protein are likely required for survival during the erythrocytic cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Thériault
- Centre de recherche en infectiologie du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Dave Richard
- Centre de recherche en infectiologie du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
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29
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Chaudhari R, Dey V, Narayan A, Sharma S, Patankar S. Membrane and luminal proteins reach the apicoplast by different trafficking pathways in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3128. [PMID: 28462015 PMCID: PMC5410153 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2016] [Accepted: 02/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The secretory pathway in Plasmodium falciparum has evolved to transport proteins to the host cell membrane and to an endosymbiotic organelle, the apicoplast. The latter can occur via the ER or the ER-Golgi route. Here, we study these three routes using proteins Erythrocyte Membrane Protein-1 (PfEMP1), Acyl Carrier Protein (ACP) and glutathione peroxidase-like thioredoxin peroxidase (PfTPxGl) and inhibitors of vesicular transport. As expected, the G protein-dependent vesicular fusion inhibitor AlF4− and microtubule destabilizing drug vinblastine block the trafficking of PfEMP-1, a protein secreted to the host cell membrane. However, while both PfTPxGl and ACP are targeted to the apicoplast, only ACP trafficking remains unaffected by these treatments. This implies that G protein-dependent vesicles do not play a role in classical apicoplast protein targeting. Unlike the soluble protein ACP, we show that PfTPxGl is localized to the outermost membrane of the apicoplast. Thus, the parasite apicoplast acquires proteins via two different pathways: first, the vesicular trafficking pathway appears to handle not only secretory proteins, but an apicoplast membrane protein, PfTPxGl; second, trafficking of apicoplast luminal proteins appear to be independent of G protein-coupled vesicles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Chaudhari
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
| | - Vishakha Dey
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
| | - Aishwarya Narayan
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
| | - Shobhona Sharma
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
| | - Swati Patankar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
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30
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Kaiser G, De Niz M, Zuber B, Burda PC, Kornmann B, Heussler VT, Stanway RR. High resolution microscopy reveals an unusual architecture of the Plasmodium berghei endoplasmic reticulum. Mol Microbiol 2016; 102:775-791. [PMID: 27566438 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
To fuel the tremendously fast replication of Plasmodium liver stage parasites, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) must play a critical role as a major site of protein and lipid biosynthesis. In this study, we analysed the parasite's ER morphology and function. Previous studies exploring the parasite ER have mainly focused on the blood stage. Visualizing the Plasmodium berghei ER during liver stage development, we found that the ER forms an interconnected network throughout the parasite with perinuclear and peripheral localizations. Surprisingly, we observed that the ER additionally generates huge accumulations. Using stimulated emission depletion microscopy and serial block-face scanning electron microscopy, we defined ER accumulations as intricate dense networks of ER tubules. We provide evidence that these accumulations are functional subdivisions of the parasite ER, presumably generated in response to elevated demands of the parasite, potentially consistent with ER stress. Compared to higher eukaryotes, Plasmodium parasites have a fundamentally reduced unfolded protein response machinery for reacting to ER stress. Accordingly, parasite development is greatly impaired when ER stress is applied. As parasites appear to be more sensitive to ER stress than are host cells, induction of ER stress could potentially be used for interference with parasite development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gesine Kaiser
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstr. 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.,Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 2, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Mariana De Niz
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstr. 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.,Wellcome Trust Center for Molecular Parasitology, G12 8TA, Glasgow, UK
| | - Benoît Zuber
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 2, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Paul-Christian Burda
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstr. 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Benoît Kornmann
- Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zürich, Otto-Stern-Weg 3, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Volker T Heussler
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstr. 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Rebecca R Stanway
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstr. 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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31
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Wright MH, Paape D, Price HP, Smith DF, Tate EW. Global Profiling and Inhibition of Protein Lipidation in Vector and Host Stages of the Sleeping Sickness Parasite Trypanosoma brucei. ACS Infect Dis 2016; 2:427-441. [PMID: 27331140 PMCID: PMC4906374 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.6b00034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The enzyme N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) catalyzes the essential fatty acylation of substrate proteins with myristic acid in eukaryotes and is a validated drug target in the parasite Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness). N-Myristoylation typically mediates membrane localization of proteins and is essential to the function of many. However, only a handful of proteins are experimentally validated as N-myristoylated in T. brucei. Here, we perform metabolic labeling with an alkyne-tagged myristic acid analogue, enabling the capture of lipidated proteins in insect and host life stages of T. brucei. We further compare this with a longer chain palmitate analogue to explore the chain length-specific incorporation of fatty acids into proteins. Finally, we combine the alkynyl-myristate analogue with NMT inhibitors and quantitative chemical proteomics to globally define N-myristoylated proteins in the clinically relevant bloodstream form parasites. This analysis reveals five ARF family small GTPases, calpain-like proteins, phosphatases, and many uncharacterized proteins as substrates of NMT in the parasite, providing a global view of the scope of this important protein modification and further evidence for the crucial and pleiotropic role of NMT in the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan H. Wright
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Paape
- Centre for Immunology and Infection, Department
of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Helen P. Price
- Centre for Immunology and Infection, Department
of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Deborah F. Smith
- Centre for Immunology and Infection, Department
of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Edward W. Tate
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
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32
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Engelberg K, Ivey FD, Lin A, Kono M, Lorestani A, Faugno-Fusci D, Gilberger TW, White M, Gubbels MJ. A MORN1-associated HAD phosphatase in the basal complex is essential for Toxoplasma gondii daughter budding. Cell Microbiol 2016; 18:1153-71. [PMID: 26840427 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.12574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2015] [Revised: 12/24/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites replicate by several budding mechanisms with two well-characterized examples being Toxoplasma endodyogeny and Plasmodium schizogony. Completion of budding requires the tapering of the nascent daughter buds toward the basal end, driven by contraction of the basal complex. This contraction is not executed by any of the known cell division associated contractile mechanisms and in order to reveal new components of the unusual basal complex we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen with its major scaffolding protein, TgMORN1. Here we report on a conserved protein with a haloacid dehalogenase (HAD) phosphatase domain, hereafter named HAD2a, identified by yeast two-hybrid. HAD2a has demonstrated enzyme-activity in vitro, localizes to the nascent daughter buds, and co-localizes with MORN1 to the basal complex during its contraction. Conditional knockout of HAD2a in Toxoplasma interferes with basal complex assembly, which leads to incomplete cytokinesis and conjoined daughters that ultimately results in disrupted proliferation. In Plasmodium, we further confirmed localization of the HAD2a ortholog to the basal complex toward the end of schizogony. In conclusion, our work highlights an essential role for this HAD phosphatase across apicomplexan budding and suggests a regulatory mechanism of differential phosphorylation on the structure and/or contractile function of the basal complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klemens Engelberg
- Department of Biology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - F Douglas Ivey
- Department of Biology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Angela Lin
- Department of Biology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Maya Kono
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Dave Faugno-Fusci
- Department of Biology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Tim-Wolf Gilberger
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Center for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael White
- Departments of Molecular Medicine & Global Health, Florida Center for Drug Discovery and Innovation, Colleges of Medicine and Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Marc-Jan Gubbels
- Department of Biology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
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Export of malaria proteins requires co-translational processing of the PEXEL motif independent of phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate binding. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10470. [PMID: 26832821 PMCID: PMC4740378 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 12/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum exports proteins into erythrocytes using the Plasmodium export element (PEXEL) motif, which is cleaved in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by plasmepsin V (PMV). A recent study reported that phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PI(3)P) concentrated in the ER binds to PEXEL motifs and is required for export independent of PMV, and that PEXEL motifs are functionally interchangeable with RxLR motifs of oomycete effectors. Here we show that the PEXEL does not bind PI(3)P, and that this lipid is not concentrated in the ER. We find that RxLR motifs cannot mediate export in P. falciparum. Parasites expressing a mutated version of KAHRP, with the PEXEL motif repositioned near the signal sequence, prevented PMV cleavage. This mutant possessed the putative PI(3)P-binding residues but is not exported. Reinstatement of PEXEL to its original location restores processing by PMV and export. These results challenge the PI(3)P hypothesis and provide evidence that PEXEL position is conserved for co-translational processing and export.
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34
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Kono M, Heincke D, Wilcke L, Wong TWY, Bruns C, Herrmann S, Spielmann T, Gilberger TW. Pellicle formation in the malaria parasite. J Cell Sci 2016; 129:673-80. [PMID: 26763910 PMCID: PMC4760376 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.181230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 12/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The intraerythrocytic developmental cycle of Plasmodium falciparum is completed with the release of up to 32 invasive daughter cells, the merozoites, into the blood stream. Before release, the final step of merozoite development is the assembly of the cortical pellicle, a multi-layered membrane structure. This unique apicomplexan feature includes the inner membrane complex (IMC) and the parasite's plasma membrane. A dynamic ring structure, referred to as the basal complex, is part of the IMC and helps to divide organelles and abscises in the maturing daughter cells. Here, we analyze the dynamics of the basal complex of P. falciparum. We report on a novel transmembrane protein of the basal complex termed BTP1, which is specific to the genus Plasmodium. It colocalizes with the known basal complex marker protein MORN1 and shows distinct dynamics as well as localization when compared to other IMC proteins during schizogony. Using a parasite plasma membrane marker cell line, we correlate dynamics of the basal complex with the acquisition of the maternal membrane. We show that plasma membrane invagination and IMC propagation are interlinked during the final steps of cell division.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Kono
- Department of Cellular Parasitology, Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg 20359, Germany
| | - Dorothee Heincke
- Department of Cellular Parasitology, Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg 20359, Germany M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Louisa Wilcke
- Department of Cellular Parasitology, Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg 20359, Germany M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Tatianna Wai Ying Wong
- Department of Cellular Parasitology, Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg 20359, Germany M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Caroline Bruns
- Department of Cellular Parasitology, Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg 20359, Germany
| | - Susann Herrmann
- Department of Cellular Parasitology, Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg 20359, Germany M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Department of Cellular Parasitology, Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg 20359, Germany
| | - Tim W Gilberger
- Department of Cellular Parasitology, Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg 20359, Germany M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada Center for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg 22607, Germany
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Hallée S, Richard D. Evidence that the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum Putative Rhoptry Protein 2 Localizes to the Golgi Apparatus throughout the Erythrocytic Cycle. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0138626. [PMID: 26375591 PMCID: PMC4574476 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2015] [Accepted: 08/31/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Invasion of a red blood cell by Plasmodium falciparum merozoites is an essential step in the malaria lifecycle. Several of the proteins involved in this process are stored in the apical complex of the merozoite, a structure containing secretory organelles that are released at specific times during invasion. The molecular players involved in erythrocyte invasion thus represent potential key targets for both therapeutic and vaccine-based strategies to block parasite development. In our quest to identify and characterize new effectors of invasion, we investigated the P. falciparum homologue of a P. berghei protein putatively localized to the rhoptries, the Putative rhoptry protein 2 (PbPRP2). We show that in P. falciparum, the protein colocalizes extensively with the Golgi apparatus across the asexual erythrocytic cycle. Furthermore, imaging of merozoites caught at different times during invasion show that PfPRP2 is not secreted during the process instead staying associated with the Golgi apparatus. Our evidence therefore suggests that PfPRP2 is a Golgi protein and that it is likely not a direct effector in the process of merozoite invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Hallée
- Centre de recherche en infectiologie, CHU-Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Dave Richard
- Centre de recherche en infectiologie, CHU-Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Thavayogarajah T, Gangopadhyay P, Rahlfs S, Becker K, Lingelbach K, Przyborski JM, Holder AA. Alternative Protein Secretion in the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0125191. [PMID: 25909331 PMCID: PMC4409355 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum invades human red blood cells, residing in a parasitophorous vacuole (PV), with a parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) separating the PV from the host cell cytoplasm. Here we have investigated the role of N-myristoylation and two other N-terminal motifs, a cysteine potential S-palmitoylation site and a stretch of basic residues, as the driving force for protein targeting to the parasite plasma membrane (PPM) and subsequent translocation across this membrane. Plasmodium falciparum adenylate kinase 2 (Pf AK2) contains these three motifs, and was previously proposed to be targeted beyond the parasite to the PVM, despite the absence of a signal peptide for entry into the classical secretory pathway. Biochemical and microscopy analyses of PfAK2 variants tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP) showed that these three motifs are involved in targeting the protein to the PPM and translocation across the PPM to the PV. It was shown that the N-terminal 37 amino acids of PfAK2 alone are sufficient to target and translocate GFP across the PPM. As a control we examined the N-myristoylated P. falciparum ADP-ribosylation factor 1 (PfARF1). PfARF1 was found to co-localise with a Golgi marker. To determine whether or not the putative palmitoylation and the cluster of lysine residues from the N-terminus of PfAK2 would modulate the subcellular localization of PfARF1, a chimeric fusion protein containing the N-terminus of PfARF1 and the two additional PfAK2 motifs was analysed. This chimeric protein was targeted to the PPM, but not translocated across the membrane into the PV, indicating that other features of the N-terminus of PfAK2 also play a role in the secretion process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuvaraka Thavayogarajah
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 8, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Preetish Gangopadhyay
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 8, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Rahlfs
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Katja Becker
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Klaus Lingelbach
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 8, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Jude M. Przyborski
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 8, 35043 Marburg, Germany
- * E-mail: (AAH); (JMP)
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- The Francis Crick Institute Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (AAH); (JMP)
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Wetzel J, Herrmann S, Swapna LS, Prusty D, John Peter AT, Kono M, Saini S, Nellimarla S, Wong TWY, Wilcke L, Ramsay O, Cabrera A, Biller L, Heincke D, Mossman K, Spielmann T, Ungermann C, Parkinson J, Gilberger TW. The role of palmitoylation for protein recruitment to the inner membrane complex of the malaria parasite. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:1712-1728. [PMID: 25425642 PMCID: PMC4340414 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.598094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2014] [Revised: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
To survive and persist within its human host, the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum utilizes a battery of lineage-specific innovations to invade and multiply in human erythrocytes. With central roles in invasion and cytokinesis, the inner membrane complex, a Golgi-derived double membrane structure underlying the plasma membrane of the parasite, represents a unique and unifying structure characteristic to all organisms belonging to a large phylogenetic group called Alveolata. More than 30 structurally and phylogenetically distinct proteins are embedded in the IMC, where a portion of these proteins displays N-terminal acylation motifs. Although N-terminal myristoylation is catalyzed co-translationally within the cytoplasm of the parasite, palmitoylation takes place at membranes and is mediated by palmitoyl acyltransferases (PATs). Here, we identify a PAT (PfDHHC1) that is exclusively localized to the IMC. Systematic phylogenetic analysis of the alveolate PAT family reveals PfDHHC1 to be a member of a highly conserved, apicomplexan-specific clade of PATs. We show that during schizogony this enzyme has an identical distribution like two dual-acylated, IMC-localized proteins (PfISP1 and PfISP3). We used these proteins to probe into specific sequence requirements for IMC-specific membrane recruitment and their interaction with differentially localized PATs of the parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Wetzel
- From the M. G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Susann Herrmann
- From the M. G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Lakshmipuram Seshadri Swapna
- the Program in Molecular Structure and Function, Hospital for Sick Children, and Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Dhaneswar Prusty
- From the M. G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Arun T John Peter
- the Department of Biology/Chemistry, Biochemistry Section, University of Osnabrück, 49076 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Maya Kono
- the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany, and
| | - Sidharth Saini
- From the M. G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Srinivas Nellimarla
- From the M. G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Tatianna Wai Ying Wong
- From the M. G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Louisa Wilcke
- From the M. G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada, the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany, and
| | - Olivia Ramsay
- From the M. G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Ana Cabrera
- From the M. G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Laura Biller
- the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany, and
| | - Dorothee Heincke
- From the M. G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada, the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany, and
| | - Karen Mossman
- From the M. G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany, and
| | - Christian Ungermann
- the Department of Biology/Chemistry, Biochemistry Section, University of Osnabrück, 49076 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - John Parkinson
- the Program in Molecular Structure and Function, Hospital for Sick Children, and Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Tim W Gilberger
- From the M. G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada, the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany, and the Center for Structural Systems Biology, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
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38
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Heiny SR, Pautz S, Recker M, Przyborski JM. Protein Traffic to thePlasmodium falciparumApicoplast: Evidence for a Sorting Branch Point at the Golgi. Traffic 2014; 15:1290-304. [DOI: 10.1111/tra.12226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2013] [Revised: 09/08/2014] [Accepted: 09/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina R. Heiny
- Parasitology, FB Biology, Philipps University Marburg; Karl von Frisch Straße 8; 35043 Marburg Germany
| | - Sabine Pautz
- Parasitology, FB Biology, Philipps University Marburg; Karl von Frisch Straße 8; 35043 Marburg Germany
| | - Mario Recker
- College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences; University of Exeter; North Park Road Exeter UK
| | - Jude M. Przyborski
- Parasitology, FB Biology, Philipps University Marburg; Karl von Frisch Straße 8; 35043 Marburg Germany
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39
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Tate EW, Bell AS, Rackham MD, Wright MH. N-Myristoyltransferase as a potential drug target in malaria and leishmaniasis. Parasitology 2014; 141:37-49. [PMID: 23611109 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182013000450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Infections caused by protozoan parasites are among the most widespread and intractable transmissible diseases affecting the developing world, with malaria and leishmaniasis being the most costly in terms of morbidity and mortality. Although new drugs are urgently required against both diseases in the face of ever-rising resistance to frontline therapies, very few candidates passing through development pipelines possess a known and novel mode of action. Set in the context of drugs currently in use and under development, we present the evidence for N-myristoyltransferase (NMT), an enzyme that N-terminally lipidates a wide range of specific target proteins through post-translational modification, as a potential drug target in malaria and the leishmaniases. We discuss the limitations of current knowledge regarding the downstream targets of this enzyme in protozoa, and our recent progress towards potent cell-active NMT inhibitors against the most clinically-relevant species of parasite. Finally, we outline the next steps required in terms of both tools to understand N-myristoylation in protozoan parasites, and the generation of potential development candidates based on the output of our recently-reported high-throughput screens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward W Tate
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Andrew S Bell
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Mark D Rackham
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Megan H Wright
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
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40
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Heiber A, Kruse F, Pick C, Grüring C, Flemming S, Oberli A, Schoeler H, Retzlaff S, Mesén-Ramírez P, Hiss JA, Kadekoppala M, Hecht L, Holder AA, Gilberger TW, Spielmann T. Identification of new PNEPs indicates a substantial non-PEXEL exportome and underpins common features in Plasmodium falciparum protein export. PLoS Pathog 2013; 9:e1003546. [PMID: 23950716 PMCID: PMC3738491 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2013] [Accepted: 06/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria blood stage parasites export a large number of proteins into their host erythrocyte to change it from a container of predominantly hemoglobin optimized for the transport of oxygen into a niche for parasite propagation. To understand this process, it is crucial to know which parasite proteins are exported into the host cell. This has been aided by the PEXEL/HT sequence, a five-residue motif found in many exported proteins, leading to the prediction of the exportome. However, several PEXEL/HT negative exported proteins (PNEPs) indicate that this exportome is incomplete and it remains unknown if and how many further PNEPs exist. Here we report the identification of new PNEPs in the most virulent malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. This includes proteins with a domain structure deviating from previously known PNEPs and indicates that PNEPs are not a rare exception. Unexpectedly, this included members of the MSP-7 related protein (MSRP) family, suggesting unanticipated functions of MSRPs. Analyzing regions mediating export of selected new PNEPs, we show that the first 20 amino acids of PNEPs without a classical N-terminal signal peptide are sufficient to promote export of a reporter, confirming the concept that this is a shared property of all PNEPs of this type. Moreover, we took advantage of newly found soluble PNEPs to show that this type of exported protein requires unfolding to move from the parasitophorous vacuole (PV) into the host cell. This indicates that soluble PNEPs, like PEXEL/HT proteins, are exported by translocation across the PV membrane (PVM), highlighting protein translocation in the parasite periphery as a general means in protein export of malaria parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arlett Heiber
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Florian Kruse
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Pick
- Institute of Zoology and Zoological Museum, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christof Grüring
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sven Flemming
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Oberli
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hanno Schoeler
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Silke Retzlaff
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Paolo Mesén-Ramírez
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan A. Hiss
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Madhusudan Kadekoppala
- Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London United Kingdom
| | - Leonie Hecht
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London United Kingdom
| | - Tim-Wolf Gilberger
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
- M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research and Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
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41
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Abstract
Red blood cell invasion by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum relies on a complex protein network that uses low and high affinity receptor–ligand interactions. Signal transduction through the action of specific kinases is a control mechanism for the orchestration of this process. In the present study we report on the phosphorylation of the CPD (cytoplasmic domain) of P. falciparum Rh2b (reticulocyte homologue protein 2b). First, we identified Ser3233 as the sole phospho-acceptor site in the CPD for in vitro phosphorylation by parasite extract. We provide several lines of evidence that this phosphorylation is mediated by PfCK2 (P. falciparum casein kinase 2): phosphorylation is cAMP independent, utilizes ATP as well as GTP as phosphate donors, is inhibited by heparin and tetrabromocinnamic acid, and is mediated by purified PfCK2. We raised a phospho-specific antibody and showed that Ser3233 phosphorylation occurs in the parasite prior to host cell egress. We analysed the spatiotemporal aspects of this phosphorylation using immunoprecipitated endogenous Rh2b and minigenes expressing the CPD either at the plasma or rhoptry membrane. Phosphorylation of Rh2b is not spatially restricted to either the plasma or rhoptry membrane and most probably occurs before Rh2b is translocated from the rhoptry neck to the plasma membrane.
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Siddiqui FA, Dhawan S, Singh S, Singh B, Gupta P, Pandey A, Mohmmed A, Gaur D, Chitnis CE. A thrombospondin structural repeat containing rhoptry protein from Plasmodium falciparum mediates erythrocyte invasion. Cell Microbiol 2013; 15:1341-56. [PMID: 23387921 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.12118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2012] [Revised: 11/30/2012] [Accepted: 01/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Host cell invasion by Plasmodium falciparum requires multiple molecular interactions between host receptors and parasite ligands. A family of parasite proteins, which contain the conserved thrombospondin structural repeat motif (TSR), has been implicated in receptor binding during invasion. In this study we have characterized the functional role of a TSR containing blood stage protein referred to as P. falciparum thrombospondin related apical merozoite protein (PfTRAMP). Both native and recombinant PfTRAMP bind untreated as well as neuraminidase, trypsin or chymotrypsin-treated human erythrocytes. PfTRAMP is localized in the rhoptry bulb and is secreted during invasion. Adhesion of microneme protein EBA175 with its erythrocyte receptor glycophorin A provides the signal that triggers release of PfTRAMP from the rhoptries. Rabbit antibodies raised against PfTRAMP block erythrocyte invasion by P. falciparum suggesting that PfTRAMP plays an important functional role in invasion. Combination of antibodies against PfTRAMP with antibodies against microneme protein EBA175 provides an additive inhibitory effect against invasion. These observations suggest that targeting multiple conserved parasite ligands involved in different steps of invasion may provide an effective strategy for the development of vaccines against blood stage malaria parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faiza Amber Siddiqui
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
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43
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Deponte M, Hoppe HC, Lee MC, Maier AG, Richard D, Rug M, Spielmann T, Przyborski JM. Wherever I may roam: Protein and membrane trafficking in P. falciparum-infected red blood cells. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2012; 186:95-116. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2012.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2012] [Revised: 09/21/2012] [Accepted: 09/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Cabrera A, Herrmann S, Warszta D, Santos JM, John Peter AT, Kono M, Debrouver S, Jacobs T, Spielmann T, Ungermann C, Soldati-Favre D, Gilberger TW. Dissection of minimal sequence requirements for rhoptry membrane targeting in the malaria parasite. Traffic 2012; 13:1335-50. [PMID: 22759070 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0854.2012.01394.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2012] [Revised: 06/28/2012] [Accepted: 07/03/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Rhoptries are specialized secretory organelles characteristic of single cell organisms belonging to the clade Apicomplexa. These organelles play a key role in the invasion process of host cells by accumulating and subsequently secreting an unknown number of proteins mediating host cell entry. Despite their essential role, little is known about their biogenesis, components and targeting determinants. Here, we report on a conserved apicomplexan protein termed Armadillo Repeats-Only (ARO) protein that we localized to the cytosolic face of Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii rhoptries. We show that the first 20 N-terminal amino acids are sufficient for rhoptry membrane targeting. This protein relies on both - myristoylation and palmitoylation motifs - for membrane attachment. Although these lipid modifications are essential, they are not sufficient to direct ARO to the rhoptry membranes. Mutational analysis revealed additional residues within the first 20 amino acids of ARO that play an important role for rhoptry membrane attachment: the positively charged residues R9 and K14. Interestingly, the exchange of R9 with a negative charge entirely abolishes membrane attachment, whereas the exchange of K14 (and to a lesser extent K16) alters only its membrane specificity. Additionally, 17 proteins predicted to be myristoylated and palmitoylated in the first 20 N-terminal amino acids were identified in the genome of the malaria parasite. While most of the corresponding GFP fusion proteins were trafficked to the parasite plasma membrane, two were sorted to the apical organelles. Interestingly, these proteins have a similar motif identified for ARO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Cabrera
- M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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Thomas DC, Ahmed A, Gilberger TW, Sharma P. Regulation of Plasmodium falciparum glideosome associated protein 45 (PfGAP45) phosphorylation. PLoS One 2012; 7:e35855. [PMID: 22558243 PMCID: PMC3338798 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2012] [Accepted: 03/23/2012] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The actomyosin motor complex of the glideosome provides the force needed by apicomplexan parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii (Tg) and Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) to invade their host cells and for gliding motility of their motile forms. Glideosome Associated Protein 45 (PfGAP45) is an essential component of the glideosome complex as it facilitates anchoring and effective functioning of the motor. Dissection of events that regulate PfGAP45 may provide insights into how the motor and the glideosome operate. We found that PfGAP45 is phosphorylated in response to Phospholipase C (PLC) and calcium signaling. It is phosphorylated by P. falciparum kinases Protein Kinase B (PfPKB) and Calcium Dependent Protein Kinase 1 (PfCDPK1), which are calcium dependent enzymes, at S89, S103 and S149. The Phospholipase C pathway influenced the phosphorylation of S103 and S149. The phosphorylation of PfGAP45 at these sites is differentially regulated during parasite development. The localization of PfGAP45 and its association may be independent of the phosphorylation of these sites. PfGAP45 regulation in response to calcium fits in well with the previously described role of calcium in host cell invasion by malaria parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divya Catherine Thomas
- Eukaryotic Gene Expression Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Anwar Ahmed
- Eukaryotic Gene Expression Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Tim Wolf Gilberger
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- M. G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research and Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Pushkar Sharma
- Eukaryotic Gene Expression Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
- * E-mail:
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Kono M, Herrmann S, Loughran NB, Cabrera A, Engelberg K, Lehmann C, Sinha D, Prinz B, Ruch U, Heussler V, Spielmann T, Parkinson J, Gilberger TW. Evolution and architecture of the inner membrane complex in asexual and sexual stages of the malaria parasite. Mol Biol Evol 2012; 29:2113-32. [PMID: 22389454 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/mss081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The inner membrane complex (IMC) is a unifying morphological feature of all alveolate organisms. It consists of flattened vesicles underlying the plasma membrane and is interconnected with the cytoskeleton. Depending on the ecological niche of the organisms, the function of the IMC ranges from a fundamental role as reinforcement system to more specialized roles in motility and cytokinesis. In this article, we present a comprehensive evolutionary analysis of IMC components, which exemplifies the adaptive nature of the IMCs' protein composition. Focusing on eight structurally distinct proteins in the most prominent "genus" of the Alveolata-the malaria parasite Plasmodium-we demonstrate that the level of conservation is reflected in phenotypic characteristics, accentuated in differential spatial-temporal patterns of these proteins in the motile stages of the parasite's life cycle. Colocalization studies with the centromere and the spindle apparatus reveal their discriminative biogenesis. We also reveal that the IMC is an essential structural compartment for the development of the sexual stages of Plasmodium, as it seems to drive the morphological changes of the parasite during the long and multistaged process of sexual differentiation. We further found a Plasmodium-specific IMC membrane matrix protein that highlights transversal structures in gametocytes, which could represent a genus-specific structural innovation required by Plasmodium. We conclude that the IMC has an additional role during sexual development supporting morphogenesis of the cell, which in addition to its functions in the asexual stages highlights the multifunctional nature of the IMC in the Plasmodium life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Kono
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
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Graewe S, Stanway RR, Rennenberg A, Heussler VT. Chronicle of a death foretold:Plasmodiumliver stage parasites decide on the fate of the host cell. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2012; 36:111-30. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2011.00297.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2011] [Accepted: 06/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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Abstract
The Golgi is an ancient and fundamental eukaryotic organelle. Evolutionary cell biological studies have begun establishing the repertoire, processes, and level of complexity of membrane-trafficking machinery present in early eukaryotic cells. This article serves as a review of the literature on the topic of Golgi evolution and diversity and reports a novel comparative genomic survey addressing Golgi machinery in the widest taxonomic diversity of eukaryotes sampled to date. Finally, the article is meant to serve as a primer on the rationale and design of evolutionary cell biological studies, hopefully encouraging readers to consider this approach as an addition to their cell biological toolbox. It is clear that the major machinery involved in vesicle trafficking to and from the Golgi was already in place by the time of the divergence of the major eukaryotic lineages, nearly 2 billion years ago. Much of this complexity was likely generated by an evolutionary process involving gene duplication and coevolution of specificity encoding membrane-trafficking proteins. There have also been clear cases of loss of Golgi machinery in some lineages as well as innovation of novel machinery. The Golgi is a wonderfully complex and diverse organelle and its continued exploration promises insight into the evolutionary history of the eukaryotic cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary J Klute
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
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Abstract
The mammalian GRASPs (Golgi reassembly stacking proteins) GRASP65 and GRASP55 were first discovered more than a decade ago as factors involved in the stacking of Golgi cisternae. Since then, orthologues have been identified in many different organisms and GRASPs have been assigned new roles that may seem disconnected. In vitro, GRASPs have been shown to have the biochemical properties of Golgi stacking factors, but the jury is still out as to whether they act as such in vivo. In mammalian cells, GRASP65 and GRASP55 are required for formation of the Golgi ribbon, a structure which is fragmented in mitosis owing to the phosphorylation of a number of serine and threonine residues situated in its C-terminus. Golgi ribbon unlinking is in turn shown to be part of a mitotic checkpoint. GRASP65 also seems to be the key target of signalling events leading to re-orientation of the Golgi during cell migration and its breakdown during apoptosis. Interestingly, the Golgi ribbon is not a feature of lower eukaryotes, yet a GRASP homologue is present in the genome of Encephalitozoon cuniculi, suggesting they have other roles. GRASPs have no identified function in bulk anterograde protein transport along the secretory pathway, but some cargo-specific trafficking roles for GRASPs have been discovered. Furthermore, GRASP orthologues have recently been shown to mediate the unconventional secretion of the cytoplasmic proteins AcbA/Acb1, in both Dictyostelium discoideum and yeast, and the Golgi bypass of a number of transmembrane proteins during Drosophila development. In the present paper, we review the multiple roles of GRASPs.
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Abstract
Malaria is caused by intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites belonging to Plasmodium spp. (phylum Apicomplexa) that produce significant morbidity and mortality, mostly in developing countries. Plasmodium parasites have a complex life cycle that includes multiple stages in anopheline mosquito vectors and vertebrate hosts. During the life cycle, the parasites undergo several cycles of extreme population growth within a brief span, and this is critical for their continued transmission and a contributing factor for their pathogenesis in the host. As with other eukaryotes, successful mitosis is an essential requirement for Plasmodium reproduction; however, some aspects of Plasmodium mitosis are quite distinct and not fully understood. In this review, we will discuss the current understanding of the architecture and key events of mitosis in Plasmodium falciparum and related parasites and compare them with the traditional mitotic events described for other eukaryotes.
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